Chapter 38 Rose
ROSE
TWO MONTHS LATER
Alingering shadow tendril reached out to wrap itself around my ankle. I seared it with a quick flash of fire, and it exploded into ash. Raith sent the darkness it had come from back to the Shadow Lands, and at last the town of Bristolen was free once more.
Raith and I had spent the past two months traveling around Ilidan to banish the darkness left behind after the curse was broken and the portal closed.
Our tour of the kingdom had already done much to reassure our people, and it was a good way for me to meet them and to learn more about my new home too.
There was still some hostility and pain left over from the war, and not everyone was kind or welcoming to me, but at least we’d begun the long process of healing and moving forward.
We’d cleared the inhabited towns first, where people had been living in fear, and then focused on the abandoned ones next.
Bristolen had been completely smothered in darkness during the last year, but now people would be able to return to the town and rebuild their homes.
Raith and I had promised funds, supplies, and soldiers to every town affected, which seemed to help relieve the guilt he felt about his involvement.
Bristolen was the last town on our list, and I was eager to return to Varlock Castle—especially since I had something to tell Raith. Something that filled me with giddy excitement, though I had no idea if he would feel the same.
“I think that’s the last of it,” Raith said, as he smoothed back his black hair, so handsome it took my breath away for a second.
I loved him more with every passing day, and thanked the Sun and Moon for having him appear in front of me in the snow that afternoon.
Raith often said I was the one who’d saved him, but in many ways he’d saved me too.
I was no longer the unwanted princess secretly practicing magic, searching for a purpose while wishing she was anywhere but at her father’s castle.
Now I was a wife, a queen, and a mage…and soon I would be something more.
“Shall we return home?” Raith asked, offering me his hand.
I took it with a smile. “Yes, supper is probably waiting for us already.”
He pulled me close, wrapping his arms around me, and pressed a kiss to my neck.
As he did, darkness surrounded us, whisking us away to Varlock Castle.
When it receded, a wave of nausea swept over me as the magic faded.
I pressed a hand to my stomach until it passed, focusing on breathing and not getting sick all over Raith.
The queasiness had begun a few days ago and was growing stronger all the time, leaving little doubt in my mind as to my condition.
“Rose, is something wrong?” he asked, gazing at me with concern.
“No, not exactly.” I drew back and smoothed my skirts. We’d arrived in the dining room, and the servants rushed in and began filling our glasses. I glanced at the wine and my stomach churned. It was time to tell Raith.
When the servants left the room, I took Raith’s hand, preventing him from going to his chair. “Wait. There’s something I need to tell you.”
His brow furrowed. “What is it?”
“I…” I swallowed. “I believe I’m pregnant.”
He blinked at me. “Truly?”
I nodded. “I haven’t had my monthly courses in some time, and I’ve recently begun feeling quite sick and exhausted.
I consulted with a midwife, and she agrees.
” I peered up at him, worried how he would take the news.
Although an heir had always been in our plans for the future, we hadn’t expected it to happen so soon, and he might not be ready yet.
He’d barely gotten over Silena’s death and everything that had happened with the Shadow Lord, and now he had this life-changing news dropped on him too.
Raith let out a surprised laugh and then gathered me in his arms, banishing all my worries with a kiss. He pulled back and studied my face, then glanced down at my stomach with a slight smile on his lips. “We’re going to have a baby?”
“Yes, we are,” I said, laughing softly. “Assuming all goes well, of course.”
“It will. You’re too stubborn to let anything happen to our child, and he or she will no doubt be the same.”
“Or even worse,” I said, giving him a playful nudge. “This baby will be half your child too, and you’re just as stubborn as I am.”
Oren walked into the room while Raith laughed. He’d recovered quickly from his injuries from that fateful night, and now his eyebrows darted up. “Is there something I should know about?”
Raith turned toward him, with one arm still wrapped around me. “Your wish has been granted, Oren. We’ve done our duty to the kingdom and an heir is on the way.”
Oren clapped his hands together. “Oh, delightful! It has been far too long since the castle had any children running about. And having an heir will squash any lingering support of Lord Malren.”
Raith’s face soured at the mention of his cousin.
Malren had left Ilidan after our encounter with him, but he was traveling through the other kingdoms and searching for allies so he could try to take the throne.
Our spies reported that he hadn’t found much success so far, but we were keeping many eyes on him anyway.
As long as he was alive, he would be a thorn in our side, always causing trouble however he could.
But I was still glad Raith hadn’t killed him.
Oren cleared his throat and presented a scroll. “This arrived for you today from Talador.”
I unfurled it, noting the ornate silvery script and the blue seal. “It’s an invitation to Lily’s coronation.”
Raith glanced over the scroll, before handing it back to Oren. “Please let them know we will be there.”
“Of course, your majesty.” Oren gave us a quick bow and left the room.
“Your sister is going to make a fine queen,” Raith said, as we took our seats.
“Yes, she is. And instead of being enemies, Talador and Ilidan will be allies for the first time in decades.”
Raith reached across the table to take my hand and pressed a kiss to my knuckles. “We’re going to leave behind a legacy of peace and prosperity, instead of war and death. And it’s all because of you.”
“And you,” I said, smiling at him. “You started all of this by having the courage to try to end the war in the first place.”
“True, but I couldn’t have done it without you.” He raised his glass of wine and took a sip, then shook his head. “An alliance between Talador and Ilidan. Who could have guessed such a thing would ever happen in our lifetime?”
“My mother knew.” She’d foreseen that Lily and I would both be queens and that we were going to change the world together.
Now we had that chance, and it was time for us to move past the sins of our parents and find a way to correct their mistakes.
Lily and I would be the start of a new peace between our kingdoms, and though I didn’t have the gift of prophecy like my mother, I knew in my gut that my other sisters had important destinies ahead of them too.
The six of us were going to reshape the entire world, forging new kingdoms built on love and prosperity instead of hatred and war, so that when the next generation took the throne, they’d be proud of what we’d done.
I rested my hand on my stomach and smiled at the thought.
Raith covered my hand with his own larger one, and our eyes met as our combined magic jumped to life. I searched his handsome face for any lingering darkness, but found none.
The beast that had once consumed him was gone, and only love remained.
Thank you for reading BEAUTY IN DARKNESS!